FULLERTON – The craftsmen at Trinity Bat Company call them "X-Outs," unfinished, defective custom bats that don't meet their perfect standards of quality.

Some are blemished. Some are fractions of inches too short or too long, ounces too heavy or too light or "just flawed and not right," said Jeff McKee, vice president of the 8-year old company that furnishes these made-to-order offensive tools for amateurs and pros, including several Angels and Dodgers.

"You could use the X-Outs for batting practice but they're basically firewood," he said. "We wanted to find a way to give them a second life."

The company turned to a man in need of a second chance to create its recently launched Artist Series.

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James Kinslow, a tough-looking, dark-haired man with a gruff voice, workman's hands and deeply tanned forearms wrapped in crude tattoos of monsters, once considered himself an X-Out from society.

He never played baseball, never even went to major league game until a few weeks ago, but there was time, almost a decade ago, when he had three strikes on him.

Repeated felony drug arrests had landed him in prison on a 32-month sentence.

Before then, his addictions made it impossible for him keep a steady job. He lived "in the dark," working off the books for quick cash at construction jobs, mainly painting houses and refinishing cabinets.

After prison, he returned to painting, putting fresh coats on aging walls, covering the past in the way he wished he could do with his own life.

His wife, Sheryl, stuck by his side. "Thankfully," Kinslow said. She helped him land a job on a painting crew at Calvary Christian Preschool in Santa Ana, where she works as a lead teacher.

McKee's wife works there. His son goes there too. McKee, during a school visit in January, saw Kinslow working, noticed the painter's steady hand and attention to detail and soon learned about the past convictions that made many other employers look elsewhere.

When Trinity faced the onslaught of orders at the start of the 2013 baseball season, McKee offered Kinslow a full-time job spray-painting and hand-applying finishes on bats.

"I was like, 'This is me. Accept me,' and they were the first to say, 'Come on in. We appreciate your skills,'" Kinslow recalled of his hiring six months ago. "Trinity has been a blessing."

McKee, who also knew of Kinslow's talent as a tattoo artist, also had another idea.

James Kinslow, 51, of Fullerton, creates custom one-of-a-kind artwork for Fullerton-based Trinity Bat Company's Artist Series. He's giving some firewood-bound bats a second chance. He needed one himself. MARCIA C. SMITH, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Trinity Bat Co. artist James Kinslow created this custom bat for Angels catcher Hank Conger to reflect his off-the-field hobbies as "Deejay Kung-Fu Panda" and an avid yogi. PHOTO COURTESY TRINITY BAT CO., TEXT BY MARCIA C. SMITH/ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
This tri-panel photo shows the image that surrounds the barrel of a Trinity bat customed drawn by James Kinslow for Angels second baseman Howie Kendrick, who sought to have St. Gabriel in the design. PHOTO COURTESY TRINITY BAT CO., TEXT BY MARCIA C. SMITH/ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
These photos showcase James Kinslow's artwork on a Mother's Day bat he made as a gift for Trinity Bat Co. vice president Jeff McKee. PHOTO COURTESY TRINITY BAT CO., TEXT BY MARCIA C. SMITH/ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Trinity Bat Co. recently launched its Artist Series featuring the artwork of James Kinslow. Each bat featured hand-drawn artwork and is one of a kind. A selection of releases is featured on the Fullerton company's Web site, www.trinitybats.com. Prices start at $189, with 20 percent going to the Nicaragua Baseball Project. PHOTO COURTESY TRINITY BAT CO., TEXT BY MARCIA C. SMITH/ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Artist James Kinslow shows off his Artist Series creations in the Fullerton showroom of Trinity Bat Company. MARCIA C. SMITH, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
The artwork by James Kinslow is displayed on six Trinity Bat Co. Artist Series bats in the company's Fullerton showroom. Each bat takes at least 12 hours to create. MARCIA C. SMITH, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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